Protect Him (To Her Last Breath)
by BlackCat46
Summary: Effie is woken in the dead of night to Peeta's screams, and goes to comfort him.


_**Hey, everyone. Just thought this might be a nice little change from continuous chaptered story. I say "nice," I really mean "it's sad, and there's some fluffy stuff mixed in there."**_

_**I hope you like this.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, its characters, or its world. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, and I am not Suzanne. I just like playing around with her characters.**_

* * *

The screams are what jolt Effie awake. For a moment, her heart races, and her mind spirals off into a moment of total panic before it registers _who_ the screams belong to, and she's up, bolting out of her bed and across the hall before she's even given herself the instruction to move. All she hears is the screams and her heartbeat thundering through her head. "Peeta!" she yells, slapping at the light switch. She runs to the bed and flings her arms around him, holding him tightly to prevent him hurting her. He thrashes against her, so she starts softly hushing him, kissing the top of his head softly, rocking him carefully. "Peeta, shh, sweetie, it's okay. You're safe now."

He slowly wakes up, his screams slowing and quietening to silence, and he blinks at the harsh light in the bedroom. "Effie? Where are we?" he asks hoarsely, as quietly as a scared child.

"We're in my apartment, darling," she whispers. "In your room. We're safe now."

"They're not coming?" he asks.

"No, my darling boy, nobody is coming," she murmurs tenderly. "We're perfectly safe. I triple-checked all entrances. You are perfectly safe. Anyone trying would have to go through me to get to you."

He hugs her tightly and asks "You're not hurt?"

"No, darling, I'm not, and neither are you," she whispers, rubbing his back. "It's all okay now, the war is over, we are safe. You're going to be okay, darling."

"Will you stay with me?" he asks softly.

Her heart breaks for the boy in her arms. Dear, sweet, strong Peeta, always so brave, so resilient, panicked and fearful because of brutal people who hurt him for knowledge he didn't have, and an affiliation with a girl who had no intention of ever causing him harm, and begging her for company and comfort after the terrors that haunt him. She strokes his hair and whispers "I'll always stay with you, dear one. Lie back down now. I'll stay right here with you."

She lies him back down carefully, gets under the duvet, and wraps her arms around him. He returns her embrace, just as they used to do for warmth in the cells all that way underneath the Capitol's ground level. "I'm sorry I woke you," he whispers.

"Darling, you have every right to wake me," she tells him softly, rubbing his back. "What happened to you isn't something you just recover from. It's a process. And if that means screaming from night terrors and needing to be cuddled at night, so be it. I want to be here with you, to hold you when you need holding, to be woken when you need me, and to soothe you. I'll never leave you."

He cuddles closer to her, tucking his head under her chin. There's blissful, comfortable silence for a little while, and just as they're drifting off to sleep, Peeta whispers "Mom?"

"Mm?" Effie hums, almost asleep now that she's calmed down.

"I love you," he murmurs.

"I love you too, sweet one," she murmurs back, squeezing him gently. "Go to sleep, dear one. I'm here now."

He falls asleep easily with her, and although he sleeps fitfully, a pat on the back or a kiss on the head soothes him. He starts to wriggle, and she knows from the erratic movements that he's having another nightmare. He mumbles "Mom... Mom?"

"Shh, my darling. I'm still here," she whispers. He relaxes again, and she strokes his hair gently. "My sweet boy. If anyone ever dares to try to hurt you again, there will be hell to pay for it. Nobody will ever get near you again. You are my baby boy, and I'll guard you with my life. My precious, sweet, perfect boy."

Somewhere deep in her soul, she feels a strong pull, binding her to the sleeping teenager, a primal instinct created out of a desire to keep him safe, right down to her very last breath.

* * *

_**I hope that wasn't too painful to read. The idea literally came to me at midnight, and I figured I'd write it out, and since it wasn't too hard to write (in a writing perspective, not a feeling one, that's a whole other story), I thought I'd publish it.**_

_**Since I've done one focusing on Haymitch and Katniss, this seemed perfect for the Papa!Haymitch and Mama!Effie thing, and it was a heartbreaking write.**_

_**I hope you're all well, and that you've had a nice week. Much love and happiness to you all. Lots of love, Cat xxx**_


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